Last week, the city of Detroit hosted its first auto show in just over three years.
Following this long break caused in particular by the pandemic, everyone was eager to return to Huntington Place. However, the enthusiasm quickly faded since the 2022 edition was, in reality, only a reflection of what the show has already been in the past.
Antoine Joubert and Germain Goyer both covered the 2022 Detroit Auto Show. Upon their return, they devoted an entire segment to it as part of the show The Car Guide on QUB Radio.
A living room that was already struggling
Before the pandemic, the Detroit Auto Show was already experiencing some difficulties and we had to manage this decline.
“The last Detroit Auto Show took place in January 2019. For the next edition, we had the idea of postponing the event to the summer of 2020. With the Covid-19, it didn’t never happened,” says Antoine.
“We took this initiative given that we were experiencing a certain decline. We were in great questioning. In particular, we had to compete with the CES (Consumer Electronics Show) which also took place in January and where car manufacturers are increasingly present,” adds Germain.
Moreover, the auto shows in New York and Los Angeles have also increased in importance, reducing the pie share of the one in Detroit.
Only five manufacturers present on site
A car show is not much if the car manufacturers are not there. Alas, in this new formula of the Detroit Auto Show, the absentees were very numerous.
“The big surprise on arriving on site was to find that there were only five car manufacturers present. The three American giants were present: Stellantis, General Motors and Ford. As for the Japanese brands, we had Subaru and Toyota. And it stopped there, ”laments Germain.
What’s more, the big unveilings were far too few. Chevrolet presented the 2023 Tahoe RST Performance while Chrysler notably lifted the veil on the 2023 300C with the 6.4L HEMI V8 engine. Unfortunately, the Jeep booth did not include the new electric prototypes for which the craze is very big.
On the other hand, Ford reserved the 2024 Mustang for us. It was the only major unveiling.
What future awaits this show?
Visibly in decline, this event was once a must. “I haven’t missed an edition since 1997. I saw retro fashion in the early 2000s with the unveiling of vehicles like the Volkswagen New Beetle, the Ford Thunderbird, the Chrysler PT Cruiser,” recalls Antoine.
Then, the years passed and the manufacturers gradually abandoned the show to arrive at the result that we know now.
Finally, with the shortage of new vehicles we are facing, the idea of an auto show as a marketing tool for a manufacturer is less and less conceivable. Thus, Antoine and Germain say they are not very optimistic regarding the future of the Detroit Auto Show and that of Montreal, which is scheduled for January 2023.
News of the week
During this show, we also talked regarding the Ferrari Purosangue, the end of the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel and the 2024 Subaru Crosstrek.
Road tests
The two presenters give their impressions of the Volkswagen IDs. Recently tested 2023 Buzz and Mazda MX-5 2022.
The Car Guideit’s every Saturday at 10 a.m. on QUB Radio, repeating on Sunday at 6 p.m.